World-renowned health expert Dr Fauci felicitates WCM-Q’s Class of 2021
DR Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor for COVID-19 to S President Joe Biden, addressed the 41 new doctors who graduated from Weill Cornell Medicine- atar (WCM- ) on Wednesday, reminding them on the importance of their contribution in restoring and preserving the health of the world.
The virtual graduation ceremony led by WCM- Dean Dr Javaid Sheikh honoured 30 young women and 11 young men hailing from 13 countries - atar, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Egypt, Singapore, Canada and the S.
Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the S and keynote speaker at the WCM- graduation, said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to congratulate the outstanding graduates in the 2021 Class of Weill Cornell Medicine- atar. As we navigate year two of the global pandemic of COVID-19, I am aware that celebrating this important milestone of your lives under the constraints of this pandemic is, at best, disappointing.
“However, we all must adapt to this extraordinary situation and unite to meet its challenges. When this pandemic began its sweep around the globe more than a year ago, it quickly hobbled hospitals and imposed crushing levels of stress and strain on their medical staffs. You are among those who faced this situation with courage, resiliency and adaptability. Thank you for your extraordinary dedication.”
In his remarks, Dr Fauci said, “The world is at a critical juncture in the COVID-19 pandemic citing that the pathway to ending the pandemic has been lit by the stunningly rapid development of highly effective COVID-19 vaccines now authorised for use.”
He added, “The global community is in a race to access and deploy the vaccines faster than SARSCoV-2 can mutate into the variants that are more transmissible and more deadly.”
“As you move into the next stage of your medical careers, regardless of your medical speciality, now more than ever, we will need your talent, your energy, your resolve and your character to restore and preserve the health of our world. And so, thank you for your courage and perseverance, congratulations, and please keep well – I wish you all the best in your future endeavours,” Dr Fauci told the graduates.
The Class of 2021 is the 14th graduating class in WCM- ’s history and the second to have completed the college’s innovative sixyear medical programme, which comprises both pre-medical and medical curriculums. Since 2001, WCM- has produced a total of 463 physicians.
In his speech, Dr Sheikh praised the perseverance of the graduates, who had to complete the final year of the challenging medical programme under lockdown conditions.
He said, “Your dedication to your studies and your commitment to the measures put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus have been a source of inspiration to all of us at WCM- . I am grateful to each and every one of you for stepping up to this challenge, to my colleagues in the faculty and staff at WCM- , and to the wider Education City community, for providing essential support in very trying conditions.”
He added, “Many of you will be called upon to help those af icted by COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, to deal with as yet unforeseen healthcare emergencies and to find new reserves of strength to meet the challenges you will encounter. I think I speak for everyone here when I wish you all the very best as you go forwards from here to embrace these challenges.”
Dean Sheikh was joined for the presentation of candidates and conferment of the MD degree by Dr Thurayya Arayssi, professor of Clinical Medicine and senior associate dean for Medical Education and Continuing Professional Development.
She said, “I offer my warmest congratulations to these remarkable young men and women, who are driven by a passion for learning, intellectual curiosity and, above all, a desire to heal and comfort those in need. At a time when doctors are needed more than ever, we are truly grateful that they have chosen to dedicate their wonderful talents to medicine.”
This year, the uran recitation was given by Class of 2021 graduate Abdulaziz Nasser Al Abdulghani, while the role of university marshal was performed by Dr James Roach, associate dean for Pre-medical Education and professor of Chemistry.
The student speakers were Raihan el Naas and Lolwa al Theyab.
Dr Augustine Choi, dean of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, delivered the farewell message to the graduates.
The new doctors will now continue their medical training by joining residency programmes at leading healthcare institutions in atar and the S, including Hamad Medical Corporation, New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, Duke niversity Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic and Harvard Spaulding, among many others.